Brandon Wilds reinvigorates USC ground game, hopes injuries are behind him
South Carolina tailback Brandon Wilds gets straight to the point when he speaks about his craft.
Running with a football is his passion and his job. He wants the ball, and he wants at least five yards each time he gets it.
The senior’s coming off his best game of the season, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns. As he turns his attention to facing Tennessee on Saturday, the goal is still the same.
“Hopefully, I get more yards,” Wilds says. “I love running the ball. That’s what I do. Going into Tennessee should be good, especially with my O-line. Everybody is loving the run.”
Despite talking so plainly about running the ball, the way Wilds runs is unique. He gets the ball and there’s something about the way he moves that separates him from the other ball carriers on South Carolina’s roster. Maybe it’s a little wiggle or a glide, but there’s a clear feel for negotiating blockers and a defense that’s not common.
His high school coach at Blythewood, Geremy Saitz, remembers Wilds at 220 pounds accelerating past smaller foes and making tackling angles disappear.
Wilds has gained 428 yards this season despite missing three games, and he averages 5.6 yards every time he gets the ball. His return has reinvigorated the Gamecocks on the ground, giving the team something extra.
“First and foremost as a player, he is a workhorse,” Gamecocks coach Shawn Elliott said. “You can hand the ball off to him 17, 20, 25 times, he only gets better as the game goes along. With that, the team rallies around that, grows, gains confidence and it becomes a different offense. I don’t know if I ever have been a fan of a huge rotation of backs. Two carries here, two carries there, I don’t know if you ever get in a rhythm like that as a running back.”
Elliott said he thinks the team likes seeing Wilds on the field because of his toughness. He’s a leader.
“We have a lot of great backs, Brandon, David (Williams), Shon (Carson),” senior left tackle Brandon Shell said. “We’ve just got to go out there and have fun blocking like we love to block. When it all falls together, he has a game like he has last week.”
Wilds’ 128 yards against Texas A&M was the best total for any Gamecock this season. Wilds has three of the team’s four 100-yard performances this season.
Saturday’s opponent is notable for Wilds. His first big game came against the Vols after Marcus Lattimore’s grisly knee injury in 2012. Last year, he set a career high in rushing (143 yards) during an overtime loss against Tennessee.
The fact he’s only played the Vols twice speaks to the other defining theme of Wilds’ career – injuries. He hasn’t played a full season the past four years.
A high-ankle sprain forced a second-year redshirt in 2012. A dislocated elbow and hamstring issues caused problems the next year, and a shoulder and knee limited him in 2014. This year, he missed three games because of rib injuries.
“I know it frustrates him,” Saitz said. “You work out to help try to prevent injury, but it’s no guarantee. When you get to the SEC or the pro level, it’s unbelievable the beating these running backs take.”
Now, mostly healthy with his career winding down, Wilds is the anchor of a ground game that seems to be finding its identity with some new plays and adjustments.
“Missed a couple games, just trying to go out there and fight for yards,” Wilds said. “Just getting the most that I can. Know that it’s my last go-round, only have one shot to do it.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Brandon Wilds reinvigorates USC ground game, hopes injuries are behind him."